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This paper utilizes critical race theory (CRT) to identify inequalities perpetuated by racialized epistemicide, the race-based discriminatory destruction of knowledge, through the loss of cultural heritage and the limitation of access to accurate narratives. We introduce the term reparative storytelling as a way to describe work centering oral and performance-based ways of knowing and remembering that establish the evidence needed for dignity, healing, and justice. By discussing the history of library services to the Black community in Huntsville, Alabama, this paper explains how racism and urban renewal perpetuated racialized epistemic injustice by destroying cultural heritage and narratives of marginalized communities. We demonstrate strategies and tools that can be used to unsilence library history and give people access to their past by using counternarratives for reparative storytelling. We believe that the archive combined with digital visualization, humanities, and storytelling tools can help us correct historical narratives by honoring neglected voices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water has been a factor in wars and other violent conflicts for thousands of years. Water can be a trigger of conflict, a casualty of conflict, or a weapon of conflict. In modern times, water-related conflicts appear to be increasing in number, with many of these occurring at the sub-state level, such as between opposing militant groups or between groups with different ethnic and cultural heritages. Action to prevent, mitigate, and recover from these conflicts is possible and available, but insufficiently applied. Investments in the broader effort to create more equitable, sustainable, resilient societies are urgently needed. The good news is that we no longer lack the technological capability to create that world, and action at all levels of society, from the local to the global, will help to foster peace and sustain and protect water resources for everyone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Australian population is highly diverse in terms of cultural heritage, languages spoken, and geographical dispersion. Health outcomes are often worse among these culturally, linguistically, and geographically diverse populations, and this is reflected in rates of physical activity participation, with people from these groups often engaging in insufficient physical activity for health benefits. This research aimed to investigate if physical activity intervention studies conducted in Australia were (1) designed to recruit culturally, linguistically, and geographically diverse participants and (2) recruiting culturally, linguistically, and geographically diverse participants. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of physical activity intervention studies conducted in adults in Australia between 2015 and November 2022. Information relevant to inclusivity in study recruitment methods and diversity of recruited participants was extracted. Results: We identified and extracted data from 371 studies, of which 98 were protocol papers for which no follow-up data was available. Only 26 studies (7%) included methods to recruit culturally or linguistically diverse participants. Most studies (189, 51%) recruited participants from major city locations, with few studies recruiting from more remote locations. No studies included recruitment from very remote regions. Information on cultural, linguistic, or geographic diversity of participants recruited to physical activity studies was provided by 109 studies (40% of studies including results) with the majority recruiting White, English-speakers from major cities. Conclusions: Few Australian physical activity studies are designed to recruit culturally, linguistically, and geographically diverse participants. Due to limited reporting of the diversity of participants, comparisons with population-representative data are unreliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owners value heritage goods, items that connect them to a shared past, whether through their alma mater or their family history. This research considers the impact of heritage on owners who wish to sell such goods. In five studies, the authors demonstrate that sellers have a lower willingness to accept when selling heritage goods to buyers with a shared heritage connection relative to buyers without this connection (i.e., a heritage discount). This heritage discount cannot be explained by ingroup favoritism, sentimental value, or appropriateness of buyer usage and persists even when sellers perceive that the buyer has a higher willingness to pay. The authors provide process evidence that the effect of the buyer's identity on the seller's willingness to accept is driven by concerns about heritage loss. The findings contribute to literatures on sharing, sentimental goods, psychological ownership, and the endowment effect and have marketing implications for consumer goods (e.g., collectibles) that derive product value by connecting consumers to meaningful history and traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This theoretical article and applied case study examines the concept of academic research libraries adopting concepts that emphasize building the future rather than passively reacting through incrementalism and risk aversion which is standard practice. These include Peter Thiel's "Zero to One" theory, Power Law concepts, and Nassim Taleb's Black Swan theory, with the application of Lean Kaizen toward foundational existing systems. These concepts, taken together, catalyze the preparation for inevitable disruptive change. With them, there exists an opportunity to reduce the current climate of risk aversion and persistent incrementalism, stagnated growth, ineffectual leadership, and decreased morale and talent retention currently present within the industry. In a time where all industries are facing constant disruption that continues to compound, libraries and other cultural heritage institutions must take the initiative to challenge and change internally by building our future before we are disrupted by other more undesirable forces. In shifting away from incrementalism and risk-aversion, and focusing on building the future through calculated risks, constant experimentation, groundbreaking ideation, operational excellence, and strategies, libraries can redefine their roles, ensure relevance, and achieve long-term success in an ever-evolving ecosystem. This article introduces a 13-point comprehensive framework that integrates the preceding applicable theories that emphasize local innovation, agility, operational excellence, and a focus on embracing the Power Law, which contends that positive outcomes in every system are heavily skewed, and to win big we need to embrace these outliers and take balanced and calculated risks to succeed in an unknown future. This holistic approach empowers academic research libraries to revolutionize their operations, proactively address disruptions and build their future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutions in the GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) sector serve the public as institutions for cultural heritage, identity, education, experience, and leisure. The goals of these institutions are becoming more closely aligned and they have shared a turn from being collection-centred to a focus on users and visitors. When these institutions also face similar challenges brought on especially by digitalization, there is increasing discourse in scholarly literature and among GLAM professionals about the drivers, impacts and opportunities of convergence for the sector. There remains however, scant empirical examination of user/visitor perception and experience of such convergence. This research addresses this knowledge gap and investigates a converged GLAM case institution, Te Ara 'Atea in New Zealand through a user/visitor survey. The survey findings suggest that users/visitors perceive and experience fewer issues with convergence relative to benefits. A novel insight from this research is that the concept of GLAM convergence can positively contribute to cultural and community wellbeing. As for perceived issue within the convergence space, of particular interest is the concept of unsanctioned touch of displayed objects/artworks, and the alleged unclear behavioral norms in converged environments. The findings also point to further considerations and implications regarding GLAM disciplinary boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article examines the activities of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine in the context of ensuring national interests and information security of the state. In the third year of the full-scale, combined with a hybrid component, the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the issue of information sovereignty becomes a critical element of the country's overall security. Attention is focused on the role of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine as a key body responsible for the formation and implementation of state policy in the fields of culture, information policy, and national heritage. The article analyzes the organizational and legal foundations of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, its functions and tasks. Special attention is paid to the legal and regulatory aspects of the functioning of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, its evolution, as well as interaction with other state authorities, in particular the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting. Since the Constitution of Ukraine does not provide for a specific department responsible for information security, the functions of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine are regulated by secondary legislation and specific laws, such as the Law of Ukraine "On National Security of Ukraine" and the Law of Ukraine "On Media". The study emphasizes that the Information Security Strategy of Ukraine, approved in 2021, defines key threats and tasks in the field of information sovereignty. It also lays the foundation for coordinated actions of all subjects of state policy in countering destructive informational influences. The significance of the Information Security Strategy as an important regulatory document defining the basics of protection against external and internal threats is outlined. The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, among other tasks, forms and publishes a list of persons who pose threats to national security. The problem of separation of powers in the field of information security is analyzed. At the same time, it is emphasized that information security remains one of the key priorities of national security, particularly in the context of countering disinformation and other negative informational influences. It is emphasized that strengthening cooperation between authorities and civil society is key to ensuring a stable information space and forming a favorable environment for the protection of Ukraine's national interests. The results of the study are aimed at finding ways to increase the effectiveness of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine in the context of countering modern threats and ensuring information sovereignty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The owners of traditional restaurants in North Portugal provide "slow" food, displaying their region's intangible cultural heritage while offering local food and wine. This research examines if community attachment (an expression of Gemeinschaft) is a mediator of the relation between the traditional restaurant owners' offerings and their intention to promote regional heritage. A mixed methodology was used, with survey responses from 309 restaurant owners in the wine regions of Northern Portugal, complemented by naturalistic observation, unstructured interviews and a group discussion. Findings indicate that traditional restaurant owners use regional food and wines in restaurant menus to strengthen the promotion of regional heritage. This use of traditional food is not only a result of community attachment that is as a Gemeinschaft-driven behaviour. Instead, it is a result of a combination of Gesellschaft (business-rationalistic decisions) and Gemeinschaft (community attachment) representations within the traditional restaurant owners reasons for promoting a region's wine and gastronomy, as tradition and post modern economic models obviously go together. In the future, tourism theory would benefit of considering social and economic evolution of different local communities in the sense of Gesellschaft and Gemeinschaft to apprehend the ongoing processes within the wider tourism system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) has the potential to enhance tourism supply and activate tourism resources. This study constructs an alienation and host authenticity model to analyze the attitudes of ICH performers towards support for tourism. Specifically, it investigates the views of giant puppet show performers at the Mount E'mei Scenic Area in China, which is a nationally recognized and first-selected representative traditional drama project of ICH. By employing an asymmetric configuration modeling approach within qualitative comparative analysis, the study identifies six dimensions of ICH performers' alienation (powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, isolation, self-estrangement, and cultural alienation) and three aspects of their host authenticity (personal value, interpersonal value, and ICH value). Based on these findings, the study confirms the impact of ICH performers' alienation, host authenticity, and demographic characteristics on their support for tourism. This understanding is crucial for the development, growth, and continuity of a tourist destination. Specifically, this study contributes to a new comprehension of the combined model of alienation and host authenticity, as well as the support for tourism by a host community as represented by ICH performers, thereby making a significant contribution to the understanding of the impact of ICH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UNESCO Underwater Cultural Heritage Convention was adopted in 2001 and entered into force in 2009. Since then, it has been ratified by a total of 72 parties, but Cambodia remains the only one of these parties located in Asia. Against this backdrop, this article presents the case of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) located on the shores of the South China Sea. The Macao SAR has a strong economy, which relies primarily on the gaming services and tourist industries, but is seeking to diversify its economy in order to make it more sustainable. To this end, the article assesses the role of underwater cultural heritage in diversifying its economy and stresses the need for greater policy coherence both between different cultural policies but also between cultural, commercial and other policy areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the social and symbolic work of Hisor as a site of Tajikistan's cultural heritage. Hisor carries with it an array of meanings and represents a convergence of multiple spheres of social life: leisure, education, life-cycle rites and religiosity. Hisor's flexibility allows it to materialize Tajikistan's governing ideology as one local project of modernity. This article discusses three contexts in which visitors experience Hisor as heritage: tourist visits to the 'Old Madrassa' museum, wedding photographs in front of the fortress walls and pilgrimages to the shrine of Makhdumi Azam. The heritage practices and discourses associated with Hisor offer a complex case study of how the temporal ambivalence of heritage operates on the ground in Central Asia and suggest some of heritage's utility as a social practice for instantiating cultural memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local governments around the world are typically required to compensate property owners for decline in property values due to planning actions. This has impacted and constrained the ability of cities to manage and plan their environments. We explore how issues of compensation, or the fear of compensation payments, influence the planning process and system. Delving into Israel's planning system, renowned for its generous compensation regime, we examine Tel-Aviv's largest conservation plan, which afforded heritage protection to a thousand buildings, and inquire how issues of compensation affected decisions during the planning and implementation stages of the city's most significant conservation policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Destruction of cultural heritage has increasingly taken center stage in global debates concerning conflict, crimes against humanity, and cultural genocide. From NATO to the UNSC, international bodies and their respective experts are reconsidering how to understand and combat targeted damage in an emerging terrain, where heritage destruction is being leveraged as a weapon of war. Relatedly, those same organizations, alongside government and non-governmental agencies, seek to rebuild historic sites as a means of (post-)conflict recovery, seamlessly tethering material and social renewal. Here we focus on the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in the aftermath of devastation wrought by Islamic State. We present findings from a survey of 1600 residents, revealing local attitudes toward the destruction of sites coupled with the international agencies and preservation programs seeking to manage heritage within the city. While Iraqis generally support heritage initiatives, we demonstrate how they prioritize broader rehabilitation efforts that foreground security and humanitarian aid. These results have implications for current and future projects in Iraq and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese ancient book catalogs have persisted for over two millennia, serving as ancient knowledge organization systems and cultural heritage of great academic value. This article introduces the concept of "book cluster," a novel approach to studying catalog classification evolution, offering a meso-level perspective that bridges books and categories. Drawing from computational methods, we identify clusters of books with similar categorization trajectories, enabling more efficient and intuitive exploration of knowledge organization trends. We review existing research on catalog classification, highlighting the traditional qualitative analysis and emerging computational methods. We then present our data source and processing methods. The concept of book cluster is defined, along with the algorithm for cluster identification and feature extraction. A case study demonstrates the potential of the book cluster concept in analyzing classification changes and knowledge inheritance. Additionally, we introduce an online analytical platform for further exploration. Through computational analysis of book clusters, we gain insights into the evolution of ancient book recording, circulation, and academic contexts. Book clusters offer clues about the content of lost books. This research lays the groundwork for future iterations. By pioneering the study of knowledge organization evolution using book clusters, we enhance our understanding of Chinese history's academic culture and knowledge preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we explore young New Zealanders' use of sexual scripts in talk about Internet pornography (IP) to perform 'smart' sexual selves. Using sexual scripting theory, as developed by feminist discursive psychologists, our analysis of interview data generated with 10 youth (aged 16–18 years) highlights two commonly constructed sexual identities across youth talk; (i) the proficient Internet pornography user, and (ii) the astute Internet pornography viewer. The way these young people talk about portrayals of sexuality and gender in IP – and their ability to discern its artifice – suggests they are savvy consumers who are capable of using IP as a cultural resource (e.g. for learning, entertainment) while at the same time acknowledging it as a flawed representation of sex and sexuality. We discuss the implications of our findings for strengths-based sexuality education that supports sexual agency, proposing a justice-orientated approach grounded in the notion of ethical sexual citizenship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Culture and cultural artefacts are passed down as hereditary assets from one generation to the next to foster a sense of continuity and identity, forming a bridge from the past, through the present, and into the future. Despite their significance, these artefacts are often neglected and underestimated. One such cultural artefact is the child modesty disc, which is adorned with decorative ornaments; tied around children's waists that reflect the unique differences between communities and cultures. This article aims to shed light on the functions of these ornaments, and the explicit and implicit knowledge related to child modesty disc. A photo survey was conducted using semi-nominal group techniques and semi-structured interviews, where 25 photos were presented to 20 respondents to identify commonly used child modesty discs, vegetation motifs, and the meanings of their ornaments. The eight plus one framework was used to formulate interview questions and define the cultural artefact's functions. The findings indicate that every ornament or motif on a child modesty disc has explicit and implicit meanings and serves multiple functions. Overall, this study highlights the importance of preserving and understanding cultural artefacts as a means of honoring our ancestors and maintaining our cultural heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discussions about the role of heritage sites and practices in provoking conflict – or conversely, as opportunities for building peace – have gained new impetus in recent years. In this context, we discuss a site of contested heritage in the occupied Palestinian territories, the Susya national heritage site. The article first highlights the way this contestation relates to wider conflict over territory (as well as political, economic and cultural resources). Using oral histories gathered by Palestinian youth researchers, it then considers how heritage narratives reinforce or challenge competing claims to 'belong' in Susya against a backdrop of protracted conflict. Finally, the article asks whether such contested heritage sites could play a role as resources for peace by adopting a conflict transformational paradigm, and what the barriers are to this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 2013 and 2015, the Republic of Indonesia's Directorate of Preservation of Cultural Heritage and Museums held a series of capacity-building workshops at Selayar Island in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Maritime archaeologists and practitioners from various government and research institutions attended the training program, including foreign delegates from ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries. The program's field school centred on the Bontosikuyu shipwreck site. This shipwreck is dated to the late 13th to early 14th century CE based on 14C dating of organic remains and ceramics analysis. It is considered one of the earliest shipwreck sites around the South Sulawesi region and is significant for understanding further the maritime trade of the eastern Indonesia area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the current article is to provide an overview of an open-access audiovisual aggregation and search service platform developed for Greek audiovisual content during the OAVA (Open Access AudioVisual Archive) project. The platform allows the search of audiovisual resources utilizing metadata descriptions, as well as full-text search utilizing content generated from automatic speech recognition (ASR) processes through deep learning models. A dataset containing reliable Greek audiovisual content providers and their resources (1710 in total) is created. Both providers and resources are reviewed according to specific criteria already established and used for content aggregation purposes, to ensure the quality of the content and to avoid copyright infringements. Well-known aggregation services and well-established schemas for audiovisual resources have been studied and considered regarding both aggregated content and metadata. Most Greek audiovisual content providers do not use established metadata schemas when publishing their content, nor technical cooperation with them is guaranteed. Thus, a model is developed for reconciliation and aggregation. To utilize audiovisual resources the OAVA platform makes use of the latest state-of-the-art ASR approaches. OAVA platform supports Greek and English speech-to-text models. Specifically for Greek, to mitigate the scarcity of available datasets, a large-scale ASR dataset is annotated to train and evaluate deep learning architectures. The result of the above-mentioned efforts, namely selection of content, metadata, development of appropriate ASR techniques, and aggregation and enrichment of content and metadata, is the OAVA platform. This unified search mechanism for Greek audiovisual content will serve teaching, research, and cultural activities. OAVA platform is available at: https://openvideoarchives.gr/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses the recent rise of populist radical right discourses in society as a cultural and political phenomenon to explore the role of popular music in constructing these discourses, with a focus on the Sweden Democrats (SD) and musician Peter Jezewski. By examining Jezewski's direct collaborations with the SD and his song 'My Land', the article uncovers how popular music culture participates in the construction of populist discourses of 'the people' in nativist terms. The article contends that certain subcultural styles in popular music resonate strongly with populist discourses of a 'silenced majority' in need of a strong populist leader and as such contribute to the construction of the 'people' versus 'elite' antagonism beyond the political realm. The case study of Jezewski's song and music video emphasises how nostalgic rock culture enables populist articulations by aligning with populist radical right anti-establishment, preservationist−nativist discourses and the performative construction of 'the people'. Drawing on cultural studies resources, the article hence investigates the practices that bring 'a people' into existence through cultural tropes and mechanisms to better comprehend the links between articulations of populism, popular culture and subcultural performances of counter-hegemonic resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood as a building material is a common roofing material in both contemporary homes and older properties such as heritage buildings. As a combustible material, wood can be associated with higher rates of building damage from wildfires. This study investigates the spontaneous ignition of contemporary Eastern white cedar shingles (Thuja occidentalis), a commonly used roofing product in older houses and heritage properties in Ontario. The samples were tested with a cone calorimeter under radiant heat without a spark igniter. The samples were conditioned under three moisture content categories: (1) ambient; (2) dry; and (3) wet. They were tested using incident radiative heat for 15 min or until 2 min after flameout under three heat fluxes: (1) 20 kW/m2, (2) 30 kW/m2, and (3) 40 kW/m2. Moisture content and heat flux had a clear impact on ignition and pyrolysis. All samples ignited at 40 kW/m2 and the dry samples ignited at 30 kW/m2. In samples which did not ignite, indicators of pyrolysis such as off-gassing, charring, and ember formation were delayed as the moisture content increased. However, dry samples at 40 kW/m2 had a slower average ignition time by 20 s and a lower average peak HRR than the ambient samples by 8 kW/m2. It was posited that it could be due to the char layer forming faster at the lower moisture content, creating a protective layer that delayed ignition. Future research will investigate the impact of incident heat flux and moisture content on piloted ignition of cedar shingles via firebrands, which is common during wildfires. Research to evaluate the performance and ignition of heritage cedar shingles versus contemporary cedar shingles is also recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of space in anthropology provides an outlook on society and culture from the view of the space that people live in. A study on village formation among the Sumi looks at understanding the Sumi culture and society from the socio-cultural perception of their land, that is, the village, which is strongly connected to beliefs, migration rituals, customs and social and cultural perceptions of their village. The research looks at the village formation using genealogy to understand the dynamics of Sumi kinship fabricated in the cultural construction of their space. The study details Sumi space following the Co-production Model of Low (2009) , which looks at the production and construction of space and the concepts of spatial practices and representational spaces of Lefebvre (1991). The study uses anthropological research methods such as case studies, participant observations, interviews and genealogy of the village founders [village land is an heirloom of the chiefs (kukami)] among the Sumi for inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism behaviour in cultural heritage gardens presents opportunities and challenges for sustainable management. Understanding visitor perceptions and assessments of visual resources in cultural heritage gardens are of great interest to heritage site managers. Using a case study of the Kairakuen Garden in Japan, we collected images (N = 430) and geographic data of tourist photos in the heritage garden through visitor-employed photography technology to analyse what hotspots attract tourists to take photos. We also evaluated the visual attributes of photo hotspots using a questionnaire. The results reveal that the most common elements in tourist images were plant landscapes and human-made structures and that the 12 photo hotspots of the Kairakuen Garden were placed along the officially recommended tour routes, indicating that tourists identify the officially approved scenery. Furthermore, there are four main hotspot areas; they received significant different visual attributes assessments in 'scenic beauty', 'complexity', 'mystery', and 'diversity'. Based on these findings, it is possible to understand tourists' visual perceptions and preferences and to make recommendations for the management of the Kairakuen Garden and other cultural heritage gardens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Just as early navigators set sail to explore the oceans, astronauts venture into space to explore distant planets, moons, and celestial bodies. Exploring the depths of the oceans or travelling into the cosmos represents a quest for discovery, pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and understanding. Whether delving into the depths of the sea or reaching for the stars, the allure of these uncharted territories beckons adventurers and scientists alike to uncover their secrets and unlock new possibilities for exploration and discovery. This hybrid-water-space existence is giving rise to novel forms of heritage, both tangible and intangible. Consequently, discussions surrounding the past, present, and future of underwater and space realms are increasingly relevant. This article aims to delve into the multifaceted realms of underwater and space cultural heritage, with a particular focus on their archaeological significance and potential for tourism. By examining these two domains, it hopes to uncover rich narratives of human history, technological innovation, and cultural heritage that span both terrestrial and extraterrestrial landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual paper examines the Fred Harvey Company, a key entity that helped develop tourism at Southwestern national parks, in particular Grand Canyon National Park and Petrified Forest National Park. The article describes some of the influences of this organization on the image of tourism in the Southwest, from the thematic design of spaces to the commercializing of Native American cultural heritage. After examining these impacts, the contemporary state of interpretation in these national parks is highlighted. Drawing on not only the natural and cultural resources of the region, organizations such as the National Park Service or Xanterra Travel Collection employ the historical hospitality foundations of the sites to create a multi-layered image of the national park as well as connect to tourist identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aesthetic considerations are integral to the competitive advantage and value creation of tourism destinations. This study aims to explore the modulating role of the artistic quality of a heritage architectural style in tourists' travel interest and aesthetic pleasure. Focusing on Hongcun, a renowned Hui-style architecture scenic area in China, this research employed public opinion surveys to quantitatively analyse travel interest, aesthetic pleasure, and the artistic quality of the architectural style (including variety, unity, typicality, and novelty). The results indicate that typicality and variety play a significant role in modulating the relationship between travel interest and aesthetic pleasure, whereas the modulating effects of unity and novelty are not significant. These findings deepen the understanding of how tourists' aesthetic pleasure is impacted by their tourist interests. By demonstrating that tourists' interests significantly enhance aesthetic pleasure and promote it through the typicality and variety of heritage architecture, they advance the theory of destination aesthetics in cultural heritage tourism. These insights guide tourism planners and heritage managers in designing interpretive content and tour itineraries that highlight the aesthetic value of heritage architecture, thereby enhancing the overall visitor experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst widely recognised as important, the concept of authenticity remains highly contested, particularly in relation to sustainable intangible cultural heritage (ICH) tourism. Using the empirical case of the pottery village of Margarites, Crete, the conceptual goal of this paper is to explore from the host community perspective the question of what authentic ICH is, as well as what this means in everyday practices of ceramic crafting in the context of increasing tourism demand for authentic pottery products and experiences. Empirically, we explore how tourism impacts the perceptions and practices of Margarites community members regarding the authenticity of their ceramic crafting ICH. On the basis of interviews and observations, our findings provide three main contributions to the literature. Firstly, based on our findings, we conceptualise authenticity in relation to ICH as constituted by the 3Ps: people-related, place-related and product-related approaches that are the outcome of social relations. Secondly, we provide a host community perspective on the perceptions of authenticity as influenced by tourism in relation to ICH of ceramic crafting. Finally, our empirical case of a Cretan pottery village affirms existing insights about understanding the sustainability challenges of authentic ICH tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ensemble of music and dance typical of the islands of Ibiza and Formentera is known as ball pagès (peasant dance). Due to its spectacular nature, it was considered a tourist resource from the very beginnings of tourism, appearing systematically at receptions for illustrious figures. The tourism boom that Ibiza experienced in the 1930s and its expansive renaissance from 1950 onwards served to ensure the survival of the ball pagès. Once its role as a tourist resource had been assumed, its presence in nightclubs and hotels favoured its appreciation by the local population and facilitated its transmission to new generations at a time when the profound economic change that the islands were undergoing seriously threatened its survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying artist signatures on paintings is essential for authenticating artworks and advancing digital humanities. An artist's signature is a consistent element included in each painting that the artist creates, providing a unique identifier for their work. Traditional methods that rely on expert analysis and manual comparison are time-consuming and are prone to human error. Although convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have shown promise in automating this process, existing single-model approaches struggle with the diversity and complexity of artistic styles, leading to limitations in their performance and generalizability. Therefore, this study proposes an ensemble learning approach that integrates the predictive power of multiple CNN-based models. The proposed framework leverages the strengths of three state-of-the-art CNNs: EfficientNetB4, ResNet-50, and Xception. These models were independently trained, and the predictions were combined using a meta-learning strategy. To address class imbalance, data augmentation techniques and weighted loss functions were employed. The experimental results obtained on a dataset of more than 8,000 paintings from 50 artists demonstrate significant improvements over individual CNN architectures and other ensemble methods, thereby effectively capturing complex features and improving generalizability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Planning Education & Research is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The ancient theatre of Taormina is considered one of the most beautiful attractions of this town. Built on top of a cliff over the Mediterranean Sea, the spectators remain captured by the suggestions that this performance arts space can still inspire. Finished to be erected in the 3rd century BC, the theatre in Hellenistic period was provided with a small temple on the top centre of the cavea. Modified by Romans based on their requirements for spectacles, the organization of this ancient theatre was amplified with the creation of a double porticus supported by a columnade, and with the extension of the scenic building. After its desuse, some construction elements of the theatre were utilized to build new structures in town, provoking significant damage to the original shape. The spectacles that nowadays are conducted within the ancient theatre are many, executed especially over summer seasons. Acoustic measurements have been carried out inside the theatre to understand the acoustic response of the existing conditions. Starting from this scenario, the values of the main acoustic parameters have been compared with the digital reconstruction of the building at the Greek and Roman period. This research study highlights the difference in the acoustic response between these two scenarios and the existing conditions, and how the acoustics during the Roman period was the most suitable for musical performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roman amphitheaters were studied from an architectural perspective, as the geometry of elliptical or oval construction was always under discussion. The Roman amphitheaters of Durres and Capua were analysed with particular attention to the effects of the velarium on the acoustic response of the spaces. The investigations were conducted for the original shapes of the amphitheaters with different coverage percentages of the awning: no shading; half shading along the major axis; half shading along the minor axis; fully open to shade the entire seating area. The four scenarios were selected based on the shadow projection that the Romans might have used in ancient times; therefore, an additional solar analysis was performed for a summer-seasoned day based on a solar path found for the cities of Durres and Capua. The simulated results show that the acoustic effect of velarium was more efficient with half awning cut along the minor axis, as seen from the spatial distribution maps. However, the radiation analysis supports the thesis that 100% displayed surface area of the awning was in place when the cavea was fully occupied. Further discussions have been addressed based on a solar-radiation analysis of the two sites. This research study represents a scientific support for the movie industry that would like to reproduce the environment as existing in ancient times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, more countries have implemented policies aimed at enhancing the synergy between two strategic sectors: tourism and the creative industries. This article assesses this relationship for a sample of European regions (171 regions). Our main contribution lies in assessing how the accumulation of resources linked to the cultural and creative sectors helps to maximize tourism competitiveness—measured by means of an efficiency model. From a methodological point of view, we apply a two-stage model. First, we construct a tourism efficiency indicator and five synthetic indicators of creativity by means of data envelopment analysis. Secondly, we test the influence of the accumulation of creative industries on regions' tourism competitiveness by means of a regression analysis. The results can be used to draw conclusions which are applicable in the field of management so that destinations can find competitive advantages for their tourism sector and thus enhance their cultural and creative capita. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the explicit and systematic teaching of idiomatic language, with a particular emphasis on the history of the AmaXhosa people. This methodological approach is qualitative research to study and gain insight into proverbs and idioms in the context of AmaXhosa culture and history. The theoretical underpinning is based on the multidimensional nature of idioms, their relationship to historical knowledge preservation, and the dynamic interactions between language and culture. Specific proverbs are analysed, contrasting them with contemporary usage, to reveal language change. The literature review establishes idioms as unique expressions, emphasising their role in conveying historical information and cultural values. References to historical figures like Makhanda and Nongqawuse illustrate how these linguistic expressions encapsulate narratives and complexities in AmaXhosa history. Proverbs and idioms, as tools for historical storytelling, not only impart moral lessons, but also contribute to the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage. A sample of four proverbs and three idioms was carefully selected from Mesatywa's book Izaci namaqhalo esiXhosa. This article concludes by advocating for the continued teaching and documentation of proverbs and idioms to safeguard the rich cultural legacy of the AmaXhosa people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]